1. Synopsis

Today quite various type of alcohol has been consumed by people around the world because the increase of distribution system in many nations. Japanese traditional alcohol; SAKE is one of worldwide popular alcohol which made from rice and pure water with peculiar style of alcohol making. Even though expanding SAKE popularity in the world, it seems people still not have ensured information of this alcohol because it looks and raw materials are quite same in each one. This does not have easy distinction like wine which is sorted from kinds of grape and color. This report will explain that specific knowledge of this alcohol. SAKE has quite special brewing style, for rice that is main ingredient of the alcohol does not contain sugar though it is essential for fermenting to it become alcohol. Thus, chief SAKE producer called “Touji” is required special skills for brewing SAKE such as Rice Milling, Washing & Soaking, Steaming, Koji Making, Yeast Starter, The Mash, Pressing, Filtration, Pasteurization and Ageing. As a consequence of this, “Touji “can make various type of that alcohol including“junmai daiginjou”, “daiginjou”, “junmai ginjyou”, “ginjyou”, “jyunmai”, “honjyouzou” and “ futuu-shu”. The differences of this sort of SAKE are resulted from the level of rice milling and the fortification of alcohol into SAKE ingredients. Moreover, temperature control for SAKE has an interesting factor into taste and flavor differences. The results indicated in this report have been researched from reliable Internet resources. The writer has also given with his own knowledge and experience with SAKE education with a sommelier certification from Japan Sommelier Association.

Table of Contents
1. SYNOPSIS 2
2. INTRODUCTION 4
3. PROCEDURE 4
3.1. History 4
3.2 Process of Sake making 5
3.2.1 Rice Milling 5
3.2.2 Washing & Soaking 6
3.2.3 Steaming 6
3.2.4 Koji Making 6
3.2.5 Yeast Starter 7
3.2.6 The Mash 7
3.2.7 Pressing 8
3.2.8 Filtration 8
3.2.9 Pasteurization 8
3.2.10 Aging 8
3.3 SAKE Classification 9
3.3.1 junmai daiginjou 9
3.3.2 Daiginjou 9
3.3.3 junmai ginjyou 9
3.3.4 ginjyou 9
3.3.5 jyunmai 10
3.3.6 honjyouzou 10
3.3.7 futuu-shu 10
3.4 Temperature control 10
4. CONCLUSION 11
5. APPENDIX 12
6. REFERENCES 13

2. Introduction

Accelerating globalization nowadays leads to spread more expanded particular food culture such as Japanese food in the world. SAKE, Japanese traditional alcohol, is also getting familiar with people around the world because of Japanese food popularity. However, most of people do not know the fact that brewing style of SAKE is quite unique. Rice, which is main raw material of the alcohol, does not contain sugar even though it is essential for fermenting to it become alcohol. Many different types of SAKE and different taste with temperature control might be interesting for consumers. This report will show the process of traditional style of SAKE making and SAKA classification results from different milling levels of SAKE rice and whether adding distilled alcohol into SAKE or not. It also shows the fact that temperature control for SAKE makes it various taste changes.

3. Procedure

3.1. History
The first time of Japanese people made SAKE was at least 2000 years ago, and has been producing several different varieties. China might have the origins of SAKE at about 4000BC. After that, the rice cultivation was introduced in Japan around 300BC, and then the first Japanese SAKE was brewed. When people were making SAKE, medium of Shinto religion was quit important, for she needed chew rice and nuts to lead fermentation for the old style of making SAKE called “kuchikami no sake”. This was also part of ceremony for Shinto religion, but when people found Koji, which is a mold enzyme and yeast, they were replaced as the trigger of fermentation process (Atlantic PC, Inc, n.d., para 1-3). In seventeenth century, it was invented that using ashes for settle the sediments in the SAKE. There was Japan’s Industrial Revolution, including simple brewing system by mechanization in nineteenth century. This led to the more availability of drinking this popular drink. World War Two also resulted in changing brewing process including to added glucose and to pure alcohol to the raw materials of SAKE to improve productivities by lack of rice. However, traditional SAKE making is still preserved, and SAKE is became internationally popular drink.

3.2 Process of Sake making

3.2.1 Rice Milling
To brew good SAKE, proper level of milling SAKE rice should be secured. It seems quite easy to mill rice, but it must not have too much heat because it may have unfavorable affects water absorption, or crack of rice kernel. This may lead to infection for fermentation process and may influence the taste and classification of SAKE (eSake.com, 2007, para 4).

3.2.2 Washing & Soaking
The milled rice need to wash to clean white powder called “Nuka” left of rice unless steamed rice quality and smell will be worse. Depending on how much polished SAKE rice, the soaking time is different. Thus, SAKE producers even use a stopwatch for measuring minute to achieve appropriate level of water content for steaming the rice (eSake.com, 2007, para 5).

3.2.3 Steaming
This is completely different from the way of cooking rice because it does not boil up. Traditionally, SAKE producers, called Toji, used to use huge iron pots and basket steamers, called a koshiki, for steaming rice, but they use stainless steel steaming vat for more care of hygiene recently. The steaming time should be about forty-five minute to one hour. This is the best period to make nice textured rice which is slightly harder outside surface and softer center (eSake.com, 2007, para 6). Usually, the process of steaming rice is needed to twice. The half is going to use for koji making (3.2.4), and the other half is for fermentation process as the mash (3.2.6).

3.2.4 Koji Making
Koji, which is essential for making SAKE, is steamed rice that has had koji mold spores cultivated onto it (eSake.com, 2007, para 7). This is required taken in a special room that is been maintaining 30℃ room temperature and 60% humidity, and also should be controlled them. The process usually takes about three days. During the period, the rice has been checked, mixed and rearranged around ten times until koji mold spores breed into inside of rice. When it emits faintly sweet chestnuts smell, it is the time to keep it to place that is dark and dry about last twenty hours.

3.2.5 Yeast Starter
Yeast starter helps the resolution of sugar becoming alcohol. To ferment a huge amount of steamed rice, selected thousands of yeast cells are essential. The way of making yeast starter is mixing koji, streamed rice from above two steps, water and yeast cells (eSake.com, 2007, para 8). After that, yeast starter has been developed enough amount to use fermentation over the three weeks.

3.2.6 The Mash
This is the preparation process for fermentation which takes over the four days divided in three successive stages to add ingredients (eSake.com, 2007, para 9). The first day, yeast starter and a third of steamed rice, koji and water are added into a large tank. The second day should not do anything to accelerate expanding yeast without germs. The third and fourth day, other a third of them is added into the tank in each day. Over the next about 30 days, the main mash is fermented under management from chief producer called “Toji”. Measuring and adjusting temperature and other factors result in making the accurate flavor profile.
3.2.7 Pressing
As Toji has decision that everything is just right, pressing SAKE is started. Whit sediment called moromi is put in canvas bags and pressing, squeezing or letting the SAKE out of bags. This is the older methods that is usually to use for high quality classes, and pressing by machine is more common nowadays (eSake.com, 2007, para 10).

3.2.8 Filtration
The fresh SAKE should be stabilized about ten days to settle lees down, and then it usually filtered by charcoal to condition flavor and color (eSake.com, 2007, para 11).

3.2.9 Pasteurization
This is important process to sterile and deactivate enzyme. SAKE is been passing a heated pipe that sank in hot water to heat quickly unless there is more chance to change the quality. Namazake is not pasteurized, keeping a fairly freshness of flavor, but to keep it in refrigerator to protect is must (eSake.com, 2007, para 12).

3.2.10 Aging
This is final process of SAKE making. Most of producers keep SAKE about six month to it aged. Pure SAKE has near 20 percent alcohol, so a bit of water is mixed for down to about 16 percent, also to check blending harmony (eSake.com, 2007, para 13).

3.3 SAKE Classification
There are several type of SAKE selected from different milling level of rice and whether distilled alcohol is added or not (Hakkaisan, 2012, para 1). This classification does not mean for the indication of taste differences including sweetness, acidity, umami and bitterness. However,“ginjyou” mean is elaborate brewing with selected raw materials, so like daiginjyou, using more milled rice result in higher quality level of SAKE.

3.3.1 junmai daiginjou
 Rice milled down to 50%, water, yeast and koji (pure rice wine)
 The highest class(SPROUT, 2011 graph 3)

3.3.2 Daiginjou
 Rice milled down to 50%, water, yeast, koji and distilled alcohol less than 10%
 The highest class(SPROUT, 2011 graph 3)

3.3.3 junmai ginjyou
 Rice milled down to 60%, water, yeast and koji(pure rice wine)
(SPROUT, 2011 graph 3)

3.3.4 ginjyou
 Rice milled down to 60%, water, yeast, koji and distilled alcohol less than 10% (SPROUT, 2011 graph 3)

3.3.5 jyunmai
 Rice milled down to 70%, water, yeast and koji(pure rice wine)
(SPROUT, 2011 graph 3)

3.3.6 honjyouzou
 Rice milled down to 70%, water, yeast, koji and distilled alcohol (SPROUT, 2011, graph 3)

3.3.7 futuu-shu
 Rice which does not have milling requirement, water, yeast, koji and distilled alcohol (SPROUT, 2011, graph 3)

3.4 Temperature control
It is not like other alcohol; SAKE can be served with wide range of temperature from 5 degree C to 55 degree C (HAKUTSURY SAKE BREWING CO. ,LTD, 2012, para 1). This is one of necessary skills for enjoying it in advance because only 5℃ difference makes it huge taste different especially the range of 30 to 55℃. A list of SAKE name by temperatures difference has been provided in appendix.

4. Conclusion
SAKE has been enjoying by many people around world, so this report showed that basic knowledge of SAKE. SAKE brewing is still provided as a traditional style and divided into a lot of processes; rice milling, washing & soaking, steaming, koji making, yeast starter, the mush, pressing, filtration, pasteurization and aging. Classification is depending on how much polished rice has been used and whether distilled alcohol has been added or not. Temperature control gives customers to enjoy SAKE more widely.

1457 words

5. Appendix

joukan hot "sake" (around 50 degrees C (122 degrees F)) nurukan Warm "sake" (around 40 degrees C (104 degrees F)) hitohadakan lukewarm "sake" (around 35 degrees C (95 degrees F)) jouon "sake" served at room temperature reishu chilled "sake" (5 degrees C (41 degrees F) to around 8 degrees C (46 degrees F)) kanzake hot or warm "sake"

6. References

Atlantic PC, Inc. (n.d.). Sake history. Retrieved February 20, 2012, from http://www.asianartmall.com/historyofsake.htm

eSake.com. (2007). Making sake Retrieved February 20, 2012, from http://www.esake.com/Knowledge/Making-Sake/making-sake.html

Hakkaisan. (2012). SAKE classification. Retrieved February 20, 2012, from http://www.hakkaisan.com/learn-about-sake/sake-classifications/

HAKUTSURY SAKE BREWING CO. ,LTD. (2012). Enjoying Japanese Sake at vorious temperature. Retrieved February 20, 2012, from http://www.hakutsuru-sake.com/content/02.html

SPROUT. (2011). SAKE CLASIFICATION. Retrieved February 20, 2012, from http://www.sakayanyc.com/about_classification.php